Sources of Information on Engineering

[Astronuc]

For those who would like some technical references, DOE Handbooks are available on line at:

http://tis.eh.doe.gov/techstds/standard/standard.html

Just click on the PDF link.

Look for:

DOE Fundamentals Handbook, Classical Physics, DOE-HDBK-1010-92

DOE Fundamentals Handbook, Electrical Science, Volume 1,2,3,4 of 4, DOE-HDBK-1011/1,2,3,4-92

DOE Fundamentals Handbook, Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, and Fluid Flow, Volume 1,2,3 DOE-HDBK-1012/1-92

DOE Fundamentals Handbook, Material Science, Volume 1 of 2 DOE-HDBK-1017/1-93

DOE Fundamentals Handbook, Material Science, Volume 2 of 2 DOE-HDBK-1017/2-93

DOE Fundamentals Handbook, Nuclear Physics and Reactor Theory, Volume 1 of 2 (142 pages), DOE-HDBK-1019/1-93

DOE Fundamentals Handbook, Nuclear Physics and Reactor Theory, Volume 2 of 2 (128 pages), DOE-HDBK-1019/2-93

and many others.

 

[Astronuc]

A number of questions, particularly involving homework, often involve some basic engineering.

In the US, the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE - www.nspe.org) has arranged for the publication of various reference manuals as part of the training for licensing exams. The manuals contain an overview of the particular engineering discipline, some basic theory, general information, tables and fundamental equations, and example problems.

Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual (for the PE Exam)
Michael R. Lindeburg

Civil Engineering Reference Manual (for the PE Exam)
Michael R. Lindeburg

Electrical Engineering Reference Manual (for the Electrical and Computer PE Exam)
John A. Camara, Raymond B. Yarbrough

Chemical Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exam
Michael R. Lindeburg

These can be found through on-line book stores.

I suspect Engineering Societies in other nations offer similar texts.

 

[russ_watters]

I'm sticky'ing this in response to a requst by Astronuc. This is a great idea (thanks, Astronuc) and something the engineering forums have been lacking. Please post links, book suggestions, etc. to resources for engineering. This should be mostly for students, but things that may be useful for professionals would be good as well. For starters...

Dictionary of Measures, Units, and Conversions

 

[FredGarvin]

In case anyone is interested, the reference book used in the FE exam is available through NCEES:

http://www.ncees.org/exams/study_materials/fe_handbook/

 

[stjimmy]

hey what type of infomation are you looking for?

 

[brewnog]

Online Materials database:

Matweb

 

[Astronuc]

Another thread in the Materials and Chemical Engineering asked about steels and seismic performance. I did some checking around and identified some codes that identify particular grades of steel for specific designs, e.g. steel for reinforced concrete vs steel plate for beams and columns. However, the design process involves much more than material.

The design of a structure to withstand a seismic load is very detailed. One of the best sources is the Caltrans Seismic Design Criteria Manual. It is available on-line as pdf files.

Table of Contents

Every civil and structural engineer, who is involved in design of structures, should study this document.

 

[Astronuc]

Fluid Mechanics Reference

I don't know how long this will be around, but it is a great on-line resource for fluid mechanics/dynamics.

Dynamical Oceanography. Part I: Fundamental Principles
http://stommel.tamu.edu/~baum/reid/book1/book/book.html

 

[PerennialII]

Some numerical software references & general sources of information

... this with emphasis to free etc. software :

... FEM based software (the first a general, really extensive collection of everything related) :

http://homepage.usask.ca/~ijm451/finite/fe_resources/
http://cern49.ce.uiuc.edu/cfm/warp3d.html
http://vector-space.com/newpage2.htm
http://tochnog.sourceforge.net/tnhome.html

... a Pre & Post - processor & a compliant Navier-Stokes solver + general visualization link :

http://gid.cimne.upc.es/index.html
http://adfc.sourceforge.net/index_en.html
http://www.csc.fi/visualization/index.html

... BEM resources :

http://www.olemiss.edu/sciencenet/benet/
http://www.boundary-element-method.co.uk/
http://www.cfg.cornell.edu/software/software.htm

... about math libraries and software in general :

http://www.csc.fi/math_topics/Software.html

... general "engineer - readable" approach to PDEs and numerical solving of them :

http://www.lifelong-learners.com/pde/

 

[FredGarvin]

Just to get some basics out there...

General Design:
http://www.boltscience.com/pages/info.htm
http://www2.chicago-rawhide.com/catalog_pdf.htm
http://www.mech.uwa.edu.au/DANotes/intro/contents.html#top

Machine Element Design:
http://www.mech.uwa.edu.au/DANotes/intro/contents.html#top
http://www.mrcbearingservices.com/engineeringdata.asp
http://www.utm.edu/departments/engin/lemaster/machine_design.htm
http://www.co-design.co.uk/dpg/guides.htm
http://www.tapmatic.com/tech_manual/index.html

General Engineering:
Java Learning Appletes: http://www.engapplets.vt.edu/
http://www.roymech.co.uk/index3.htm

Process Control/Instrumentation:
Omega's Technical Library (EXCELLENT SOURCE!):
http://www.omega.com/techref/
http://www.pc-education.mcmaster.ca/instrumentation/go_inst.htm

Fluids:
LMNO Engineering: http://www.lmnoeng.com/
Standard Atmosphere Calculator: http://aero.stanford.edu/StdAtm.html
Piping: http://www.pipingdesign.com/
Pumps Fundamentals: http://www.gouldspumps.com/cat_technews_0005.html

Sound/Vibration:
http://www.silcom.com/~aludwig/index.htm
http://www.vibrationdata.com/tutorials.htm (EXCELLENT SOURCE!)
http://www.sandv.com/home.htm
http://www.bradford.ac.uk/research/mbdmst/rotordynamic/

 

[Danger]

Wow! Excellent thread, guys.

 

[engware]

Hi there:

For anywhere, anytime free engineering e-solutions for energy conversion systems, check out http://members.aol.com/engware.free .

An MS Excel file is attached.

Thanks,

Gordan

 

[Astronuc]

Perhaps we need to add information on Academic programs in Engineering.

https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/

https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/Research/


Please contribute information from your Engineering Department or School.

Purdue has a nice form showing the outline of an Mech E degree.
http://tools.ecn.purdue.edu/ME/Undergrad/

It should be comparable to other programs.

 

[vsdguy]

Hi all,

I am new on the forum and was wondering if there is a source where I can download or get engineering ebooks?

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Vsdguy

 

[meee]

for prospective students
http://www.engineeringk12.org/students/default.htm

 

[Astronuc]

I am new on the forum and was wondering if there is a source where I can download or get engineering ebooks?

Welcome to PF, vsdguy. There may not be too many free e-books available on-line. Most engineering texts must be purchased.

In what particular engineering courses/disciplines is one interested? MIT has some open courseware. http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html

One can find, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Engineering Systems Division, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Nuclear Science and Engineering. There are many course notes available in pdf format. One can also find Mathematics here and at other university sites.

PF also has Physics, Math and Science tutorials.

 

[Astronuc]

http://aiche-chicago.org/

The Chicago Section is one of the largest within the institute, with over 1,200 members.

American Institute of Chemical Engineers - http://www.aiche.org/ - national organization.

 

[vsdguy]

Thank you all,

I am specificaly interested in controls. More specificaly in control engineering. PID, AC/DC controls, automation, AC drives, Power electronics. I will check the site you provided Astronuc.
Thank you all again for sharing information.

Regards,

vsdguy

 

[FredGarvin]

I haven't had a chance to read through it yet, but here is a book on compressible flow. There do appear to be some things that need to be fixed. Consider it a work in progress:

http://www.potto.org/gasDynamics/index.html

 

[FredGarvin]

Google Scholar

I came across this recently while doing some patent research. It is very handy when looking for technical articles and such. It has a very nice searchable PDF interface that makes finding what you are looking for a lot easier.

Google Scholar

 

[Mike Seoni]

Process Engineering Technical Library

Technical Library covering all sorts of drying and agglomeration processes, including spray drying and fluid bed drying can be found at Niro.com

https://www.physicsforums.com/thermo/

best
M.S.

 

[Mike Stanley]

EE HomePage.com (http://www.eehomepage.com) currently has listings for 150+ free textbooks on physics, math, programming and electrical engineering topics.

 

[sayak]

I have a lot of e-books on mechanical engineering. Is there a resource folder of some sort in which I can upload them?

 

[hxtasy]

http://www.youtube.com/user/MIT

This is a very good source for learning theory. This is MIT's youtube channel. They have everything from biology, differential equations, to fluid mechanics. It's a great way to virtually sit through one of their classes. I viewed about all of their differential equations videos, I am in diff eq class in college now and it's nice to get a different view on some of the theory, and relearn what i should've learned when i was day dreaming in class.


I also just watch some of the fluid mechanic lessons, they are so interesting.



very good thread guys!

 

[regal231]

Not sure if this has been posted, but I came across this awhile ago.

efunda.com

 

[matqkks]

Are there any good engineering mathematics books?

 

[jonam18]

Just to get some basics out there...

General Design:
http://www.boltscience.com/pages/info.htm
http://www2.chicago-rawhide.com/catalog_pdf.htm
http://www.mech.uwa.edu.au/DANotes/intro/contents.html#top

Machine Element Design:
http://www.mech.uwa.edu.au/DANotes/intro/contents.html#top
http://www.mrcbearingservices.com/engineeringdata.asp
http://www.utm.edu/departments/engin/lemaster/machine_design.htm
http://www.co-design.co.uk/dpg/guides.htm
http://www.tapmatic.com/tech_manual/index.html

General Engineering:
Java Learning Appletes: http://www.engapplets.vt.edu/
http://www.roymech.co.uk/index3.htm

Process Control/Instrumentation:
Omega's Technical Library (EXCELLENT SOURCE!):
http://www.omega.com/techref/
http://www.pc-education.mcmaster.ca/instrumentation/go_inst.htm

Fluids:
LMNO Engineering: http://www.lmnoeng.com/
Standard Atmosphere Calculator: http://aero.stanford.edu/StdAtm.html
Piping: http://www.pipingdesign.com/
Pumps Fundamentals: http://www.gouldspumps.com/cat_technews_0005.html

Sound/Vibration:
http://www.silcom.com/~aludwig/index.htm
http://www.vibrationdata.com/tutorials.htm (EXCELLENT SOURCE!)
http://www.sandv.com/home.htm
http://www.bradford.ac.uk/research/mbdmst/rotordynamic/

Hello Fred,

this was an excellent information put up by you... Could you please inform me about a site which wuold give a guideline for pressure vessel design ( along with sample calculations maybe).

thanks,

 

[Astronuc]

Most of the pressure or storage vessels in service in the United States will have been designed and constructed in accordance with one of the following two pressure vessel design codes:

• The ASME Code, or Section VIII of the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) "Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code."
• The API Standard 620 or the American Petroleum Institute Code which provides rules for lower pressure vessels not covered by the ASME Code.

http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iv/otm_iv_3.html
http://www.hghouston.com/pvessel.html

The design, fabrication and use of pressure vessels is a serious matter given that failure can have serious consequences (death or injury) to people in the vicinity of failed PV's.

If one is designing and building a PV with the intent to use it, one must adhere to the above two codes, whichever is appropriate.

Power boilers are a common application:
http://engineers.ihs.com/collections/asme/bpvc-2007.htm

Section I – Power Boilers
This Section provides requirements for all methods of construction of power, electric, and miniature boilers; high temperature water boilers used in stationary service; and power boilers used in locomotive, portable, and traction service. Rules pertaining to use of the V, A, M, PP, S and E Code symbol stamps are also included.

It might be worthwhile to have a dedicated thread on BPV's, or perhaps just PV's.

 

[FredGarvin]

Personally I don't think I would not want to take a major part in a thread about pressure vessels except on an amature level. Section VIII is absolutely huge and the area of their design is a very specialized area. I know I would not feel comfortable giving someone advice regarding a pressure vessel in accordance to ASME specs. I think, probably, only Q_Goest is the only one here that has a good amount of experience in that area.

 

[Astronuc]

Body of Knowledge

The American Society for Civil Engineers has produced their 2nd edition of the Body of Knowledge.

http://www.asce.org/professional/educ/bok2.cfm

It's well worth a look, even if one is not a civil engineer.


Other sources on ASCE education products.
http://www.asce.org/professional/educ/


Every 4 years [I thought it was annual], ASCE produces a report card on the state of infrastructure -

US roads, water and basic systems earn 'D' grade
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090128/ap_on_bi_ge/failing_backbone

Engineers: U.S. infrastructure a 'D'
American Society of Civil Engineers says under-funding has caused the nation's infrastructure to crumble - and stimulus won't do enough.
http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/28/new..._report_card/index.htm?postversion=2009012811

With that in mind -

NTSB Expected to Adopt Final Report on I-35W Bridge Collapse;
Agency Probe Cites Gusset Plate Design Flaw
http://content.asce.org/I-35W/NTSBI35W.html

The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to issue a ruling late Friday on the probable causes and contributing factors of the Aug. 1, 2007, I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis that killed 13 people and injured 145. Their findings will be released formally at the conclusion of a two-day public board meeting that opened Thursday in Washington.

During Thursday's testimony, federal investigators said they had discovered a major design flaw that dated to the bridge's original design in the mid-'60s -- the steel gusset plates that held beams together were only half the required thickness. The bridge was in the midst of repairs at the time of the collapse. Equipment and supplies at one point of excessive weight in the center span caused weak plates to give out, which pulled down the adjacent sections in turn.

The NTSB has been investigating the catastrophic failure of the eight-lane, 1,907-foot-long highway bridge over the Mississippi River over the past 15 months since the collapse. The board made the two-day meeting available via a live webcast, which is being archived for later viewing online. The NTSB planned to release a summary of their final report shortly after the conclusion of the meeting. The entire report will be released in "several weeks," according to the NTSB.